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������̳’s Alumni Hall has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, which is the highest level of recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This achievement makes Alumni Hall the first LEED Platinum building on campus and one of only nine LEED Platinum buildings in the entire SUNY system.

is the world's most widely used green building rating system. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, to achieve LEED certification, a project earns points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. Projects go through a verification and review process by USGBC and are awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points).

“Green buildings save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and create healthier places for people to study and work,” said Lachlan Squair, the university’s Associate Vice President of Facilities and Planning. “The renovation of Alumni Hall is an important milestone in our ������̳ Clean Energy Master Plan, which seeks to make the campus carbon neutral by 2045, eliminating the use of fossil fuels for building operations.”

Alumni Hall, originally constructed in 1958 as the campus’ first library, was reopened in September 2023 after an extensive, multi-year renovation project that completely transformed the building. The project was led by Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation, an Albany firm that specializes in “the restoration, renovation and adaptive reuse of existing and historic buildings.”

Today, Alumni Hall provides a mix of bright classrooms, offices and meeting spaces for students, staff and alumni. The 47,000-square-foot building is home to the university’s Business, Economics and Political Science departments and the Division of University Advancement. Alumni Hall is fully heated and cooled through ground source heat pumps and an array of 39 geothermal bores housed beneath the parking lot.

������̳’s commitment to green building standards is evident throughout its campus renovations. Recent work on the Fitzelle Hall, the Welcome Center and Red Dragon Outfitters buildings thoughtfully incorporated green standards, and the Physical Science building was awarded LEED Gold certification.